After produce, fruits and other types of food items are picked or otherwise harvested, they are commonly cleaned utilizing processing machines filled with roller brushes. The brushes are mounted horizontally on the machine side-by-side to each other in close proximity, thereby to cooperatively form a bed of brushes on which the produce, fruit or other food items travel while being cleaned by the rotating brushes. As safety in food processing becomes more strict, there is an increasing need and requirement to clean all equipment surfaces and components that touch the food items during processing.
The roller brushes become dirty from the produce, fruit or other food products being cleaned and moving across the brushes, causing the brushes to trap, dirt, debris, and other materials and organisms in the brush filaments and in the brush cores. The brushes are difficult to access for cleaning when installed in a cleaning machine due to guards as well as systems needed to drive or turn the brushes. Thus, the brushes need to be removed from the processing machine for cleaning and sanitization. Typically, the removed brushes are washed manually one at time with a water hose or soaked in a tray until the brushes are visibly clean. Consistent and thorough cleaning is difficult to achieve using these methods and effective sanitization of the brushes unlikely.
The present disclosure addresses the need for an efficient and effective apparatus and system for cleaning rotary produce/fruit/food brushes.